The Garnet Factor
Capricorn is a zodiac sign where the mystery of the darkest night and the glory of the light merge. The birthstone Garnet symbolises just that. The gem symbolises the crossing of the bridge of darkness before one can reach the radiation of the great white light. It is the conquest of the monster of the self that is the ultimate goal of the Capricorn.
The deep Garnet is basically associated with the Kundalini fire or the primal fire of transformation. It is actually the integrating fire that assists the Kundalini up the spinal column. It is a stone of passion that sometimes need to be transformed into the power of purity. It is with purity of heart that the individual born under the Capricorn sign is able to realise God. In the temple of human body, the sacred spinal fire lies coiled like a snake and is called the "sacred stone". Garnet helps to awaken it and lifts it upward towards the head by the process of transmutation.
Although the principal birthstone for the Capricorn is Garnet or the Blue Sapphire, it also responds to several other gemstones like Blue Topaz, Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Ruby and Turquoise. Garnet effectively conducts the energies of the ruling planet Saturn that makes the wearer garner advantages from the sympathy of the planet on his life path.
The sacred plexus is red, but when the fire is lifted towards the mid-section of the body, it functions under the blue ray. And when it nears the spiritual centre, it transforms into the purple violet ray.
Garnet helps to boost and brings the transmission levels to normal if it is deficient in the wearer. It also works with the generative system and stimulates the sexual drive, especially the red Garnet. The gemstone aids in imagination and protects against depression and impure thoughts. The strength of the stone basically lies dormant until it is polished.
Garnet enhances the positive qualities that are already present in the individual and primarily helps him by taking care of the relationship area. People are fond of taking advice from the Capricorn due to his radical nature and Garnet enhances this aspect even more so that the individual can take a good stock of the situation and behave in accordance to the relationship criteria.
It makes them more approachable, faithful, true and pure. This gives them a good stead in their personal and professional lives thereby paving the way for success and peace in every sphere.
The gemstone helps them to develop their insight and make them aware and committed, thereby regenerating lost emotions and relations. It also effectively removes negativity on approach.
There are certain health issues that are naturally associated with the Capricorn. Garnet deals with them successfully and helps in preventing or curbing the problems. Some of them are like:
- Blood related issues
- Lung infections
- Several variants of heart diseases
- Different types of infections
- The Garnet can also effectively enhance both the sensuality and sexuality aspects thereby giving the wearer a more balanced life.
The pink or violet shade of the Garnet works on the regeneration and transmutation. Garnets provide energy and courage to the individual but one needs to be careful and beware of the passionate love as it can well turn into hatred due to jealousy.
Overview
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical compositionGarnets are nesosilicates having the general formula X3Y2(Si O4)3. The X site is usually occupied by divalent cations (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn)2+ and the Y site by trivalent cations (Al, Fe, Cr)3+ in an octahedral/tetrahedral framework with [SiO4]4− occupying the tetrahedra. Garnets are most often found in the dodecahedralcrystal habit, but are also commonly found in the trapezohedron habit.
Garnet is found the world over, and though commonly known to be red, it is in fact found in a variety of colors and chemical formulas, each with its own set of spiritual properties. Legends and folklore place garnet among the most ancient of talismans. Not only was it prized as an ornamental jewel, but its strong curative powers and protective energies made it invaluable.
Garnet is also known for its utilization of creative energy. It grounds spirit forces within the body and helps in the ability to work lovingly on the physical plane. Yet Garnet is a sensual stone. It represents primordial fire, the creation of the world out of chaos, purification and love. It is a stone of strong, intense feelings.
The distinctive title Garnet is derived from the Latin name Granatum, a pomegranate, because of the resemblance the granular varieties of Garnet bears to the seeds of that fruit. Garnets vary in size from a grain of sand to the size of an apple. According to the Roman historian Pliny, the large dull-colored "Carbunculus of India" (a variety of Garnet) used to be hollowed out into vessels which would hold as much as a pint.
Garnets were used in the former Czechoslovakia as far back as the Bronze Age, and in Egypt more than five thousand years ago. They were used in Sumeria around 2100 B.C. and in Sweden between 1000 and 2000 B.C. They were also popular in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. According to the Talmud, the only light on Noah's ark was provided by a large Garnet. In Europe during the Middle Ages, Garnet was used to enhance truth, faith and constancy, and to dispel melancholy. As a Warrior's Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies.
Garnet is said to have been one of the twelve stones in the Breastplate of the High Priest, and has been used as a sacred stone by the Native American Indians, the South American Indians, the Aztecs, the African tribal elders, and the Mayans. It acts with speed to expand one's awareness due to the flash of lightening contained within, and enhances one's internal fire to bring creative powers to implementation.
Garnets whose color suggested that of blood, were not only believed to confer invulnerability from wounds, but some Asiatic tribes launched garnets from their sling bows, and later as bullets, the principle being the blood-colored stone would inflict a more deadly wound than a leaden bullet. Such were used by the rebellious Hanzas, in 1892, during their hostilities with the British troops on the Kashmir frontier, and many of these precious missiles were preserved as curiosities.
Today, Garnet is not only worn ornamentally as a beautiful gem, but is used widely in industrial markets, from watch gears and scientific instruments to sandpaper and abrasives.
Physical Healing
Garnet is thought to have medicinal abilities to reduce body toxins. At times stones were placed in wounds to help heal by encouraging the clotting of the blood.
Garnet regenerates the body, stimulating metabolism. It treats spinal and cellular disorders, purifies the blood, heart and lungs, and regenerates DNA. It assists assimilation of minerals and vitamins, including iodine, calcium, magnesium, and Vitamins A, D, and E.
Garnet can alleviate acne, low libido, and disturbances in the cardiac rhythm (except for arterial hypertension, which Garnet can even aggravate). It has been reported to relieve rheumatic and arthritic pain and some psychological illnesses.
Emotional Healing
Garnet provides a protective influence and a calming stable vitality during use. It is thought to heal emotional problems. Placed under a pillow, Garnet is reputed to alleviate bad dreams. Medicine men used it to cure mental depression.
Garnet is useful to have in a crisis, particularly in situations where there seems to be no way out or where life has fragmented. It fortifies, activates, and strengthens the survival instinct, bringing courage and hope into those situations. Crisis is turned into challenge under Garnet's influence and promotes mutual assistance in times of trouble.
Garnet can act as a strong help to balance the energy system, stimulate desires and uplift your attitude. As a balancer stone, Garnet can prevent fears of insecurity and even money losses. They're lucky stones: lucky for love, success, and for goals. Use Garnet to increase your positivity and popularity, thus enhancing your personal self-esteem. As an energy stone, it can encourage success in business and business relationships. It is a wonderful executive gem, especially for women. Square cut garnets are particularly useful in bringing success in business matters.
Garnet has even been credited with aiding widows in finding a new husband. After mourning for too long, Garnet helps to regain the spirit, calming sadness and emotional pain, helping those who have gone through great despair get back on their feet and become seductive again. Perhaps the same could be true for widowers as well.
Chakra Healing and Balancing Energy
Garnet cleanses and reenergizes the chakras. It revitalizes, purifies and balances energy, bringing serenity or passion as appropriate. It inspires love and devotion, balancing the sex drive and alleviating emotional disharmony. Red Garnet in particular stimulates the kundalini energy and aids sexual potency. It stimulates from both the Base and Crown chakras to provide for free flow of movement via the spinal column and the inner pathway of light, distributing the appropriate amount of energy to each portion of the body.
Garnet has a strong link with the pituitary gland and can stimulate expanded awareness and past-life recall. It activates other crystals, amplifying their effect.
Spiritual Energy
Garnet sharpens your perceptions of yourself and other people. It dissolves ingrained behavior patterns that are no longer serving you, and helps you let go of obsolete ideas. Garnet removes inhibitions and taboos, opening up the heart and bestowing self-confidence.
Garnet is also known as a Stone of Commitment - to purpose, to others, and to oneself. Its loving powers reflect the attributes of devotion and understanding. It both monitors and adjusts the flow of energy to provide for a balanced energy field around the physical body and alignment of the emotional and intellectual bodies.
Ancient Lore and Legend
Garnets were employed as inlaid stones in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon jewelry. [Fernie, 19] Garnets the color of fire were also called Carbuncles (from fire-coals), and the Hebrew name for the carbuncle was Bareketh (flashing stone) or Barak (lightning). It was a stone in the breastplate of the High Priest. Eastern legends assert that a carbuncle was suspended by Noah, in the Ark, to diffuse light. The Greeks called the carbuncle the Lamp Stone and it was said, if hung around the neck, to give the power of seeing in the dark.
Greek mythology speaks of Garnet as a stone that can, through divine influence, heal emotional rifts between lovers.
A Warrior's Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies. The Merovingians brought garnets from faraway Ceylon (Sri Lanka) through the Silk Road, combining it with amber from the Baltic to create magnificent jewels. Since these two stones balanced each other, one warm, one cold, some see the source of the Frankish civilization in this combination, the amber tempering the warrior-like fieriness of the Germanic people.
Low libido and sexual disorders were credited to be relieved by the application of Garnet directly to the genital organs. Princess Palatine discovered her husband, the brother of King Louis XIV, applying garnets on his body in this way. Though he asked her not to reveal this to anyone, she instead told the whole court and wrote about it in her many famous letters.
Garnet is a conqueror's stone. Legend has it that a garnet ornamented Don Juan's ring.
The well-formed image of a lion, if engraved on a garnet, will cure the wearer of all diseases, protect and preserve his honor and health, and guard him from all perils in traveling.
Some Asiatic tribes used red garnets as bullets for sling bows because they pierced their victims quickly and were well hidden when they mingled with the blood. At other times they were placed in wounds to encourage clotting of the blood. The tribes continued to use them later as bullets in firearms, assuming the blood-colored stone would inflict a more deadly wound than a leaden bullet. Such were used by the rebellious Hanzas, in 1892, during their hostilities with the British troops on the Kashmir frontier, and many of these precious missiles were preserved as curiosities.
